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Hello Steemit! Today, the 8th wonder of the world will be paid a visit by Steemit. Have you ever heard of the saying "If you didn't visit the Pyramids, you didn't really visit Egypt. If you didn't visit the Terracotta Army, then you didn't visit China." So, lets pay a virtual visit to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.

In 1987, The site of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Army was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Qin Emperor's Mausoleum is the Largest tomb in all of China and much attention has been put into preserving the layout of the imperial tombs. Due to excavating standards being below par, till recent history, there was no decision made to excavate the Mausoleum, it was believed that the relics were better preserved below ground rather than above it. The soldiers and horses located in the vicinity of the tomb represent the intention to protect the Emperor in his next life. The Soldiers were actually moved to above ground due to an unexpected accident..

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On March 29th, 1974, Shaanxi Province experienced a drought. A farmer who was digging a well to fetch water found fragments of Terracotta. When the first Terracotta soldiers were excavated, they retained much of the original colours that were painted on them, the colours were vivid and made them seem very real. Unfortunately, due to contact with the air, the Terracotta Soldiers lost their colour very quickly as a result of oxidation. To this day, the pigments used for the colouring of the soldiers remain a mystery. However, experts analysis has found some evidence of barium copper silicate, despite this being unavailable in the natural surroundings

To avoid further damage to the Terracotta Warriors, archaeologists decided to commence excavation. The area surrounding the pits was then covered with a building which today functions as the main museum. It takes about 30 minutes from down town Xi'an to get to the site and upon arrival, you'll realise the whole site is very large in area. The distance from the main entrance to the museum is several kilometers, so to avoid the blistering heat, I boarded a sightseeing car which shuttles visitors between the entrance and the museum. The sun on this day was very bright making the scenery extra beautiful.

The characters on the entrance are very beautiful, but are not the Chinese characters we use today. They are ancient characters used in the Qin Dynasty period. I don't recognise any of them. The Chinese recognise Qin Dynasty as an important era because until then, China was divided into several regions. Emperor Qin, unified these regions to form the China we know today, along with it, he enforced a unifying standard of writing. After thousands of years and continued development and evolution, the characters have become the standard Chinese characters used today.

I rented a virtual tour guide hearing aid which explains all of the main relics in detail. It even recognises as you move from one area to the next, automatically explaining the wonders before you as you walk by. I was really anxious to get inside and see the displays so I made my way to Museum No.1 with no hesitation.

Over 200 national leaders have visited this museum before. On the right, is former US President, Bill Clinton, and Queen Elizabeth II.

You may wonder if the Terracotta Warriors are real and not forged.. Well, lets go inside and take a look. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how incredibly large the pits were. The total area of this pit is over 10,000 square meters, and is home to around 5000 terracotta warriors. The warriors themselves are each unique and vary in size and shape. The tallest warriors stand at nearly 2m tall. The place definitely gives a strong impression in its grand scale and magnificence.

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In the history of Chinese art, the Terracotta soldiers stand out for their realism and extreme attention to detail. This amazing feat of construction has no comparisons. Nothing comes close to the level of work put into these soldiers. In fact, a bronze swan was also discovered. On the left of it is a warrior, and on the right is the swan's feathers. With carbon dating, it is possible to determine the age of these objects.

On these soldiers which are being restored, you can see the details of their armor which match with the descriptions of the armor used in those times.

The saddlery and carriages also match the descriptions in historical records.

The formation of the soldiers are arranged exactly as expected according to historical records.

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This is the museum built above the 3rd pit. With ongoing excavation works and new items being unearthed all the time, the discoveries continue to impress the world stage and is a testament to the achievements of the civilizations of mankind.

The burial of real people and horses was not unheard of in ancient times, it was even considered an honor to be at the Emperor's side in his afterlife. However, for Emperor Qin, the preservation of his tomb was of utmost importance, using terracotta allowed the statues to remain intact and more immune to decomposition, leaving behind precious heritage and wealth to future generations.

At the exit, you can see some creative photography where your face is photo shopped onto a terracotta soldier.

Here are some ancient style floor decorations on the route leading out from the museums.

There is a whole street of souvenir shops as you leave the museum, here you can buy all sorts of Terracotta imitation statues as well as initiation Qin Dynasty Bronze statues.